The Samuel Scroll

Last updated

The Samuel scroll is a collection of four manuscript fragments containing parts of the Book of Samuel which were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Contents

The Book of Samuel at Qumran

What is commonly known as two books in many Christian Bibles, 1 and 2 Samuel form a single book (Books of Samuel) in the Masoretic text as well as in the manuscripts found at Qumran. Of the four fragments of Samuel found at Qumran, one was discovered in Cave 1 and three more in Cave 4. [1]

1Q Samuel

1Q Samuel (1QSam; 1Q7) was found in Cave 1 and contains remnants of a manuscript that contained parts from 1 Samuel 18 and 2 Samuel 20:6-10, 21:16-18, and 23:9-12. The variants within this text include a missing long stretch in 20:8, as well as some peculiar readings of proper nouns (21:18, 23:9). The text is in Hebrew, written in square script and dates from the Hellenistic-Roman period. [2]

4Q Samuela

4Q Samuela (4QSama; 4Q51) was found in Cave 4 at Qumran, and dates from 50-25 BCE ("Herodian" period). The text is in Hebrew and written in square script. [3] This scroll is the most extensive, and it preserves fragments of 1 Samuel 1 - 2 Samuel 24. It contains many readings that are different from the Masoretic Text but that closely resemble those in the Septuagint. Some examples are as follows:

4Q Samuelb

4Q Samuelb (4QSamb; 4Q52) was found in Cave 4 at Qumran and contains parts of 1 Samuel 16:1-11, 19:10-17, 20:26-21:10, and 23:9-17. It is the oldest of the four manuscripts, dating to the end of the third century/beginning of second century BCE ("Early Hellenistic" period). The text is in Hebrew and written in square script. [4] The orthography is similar to that of the Masoretic Text in the Pentateuch, and shares many readings with both the Septuagint (such as the designation of Samuel as "the seer" in 1 Samuel 9:18,19) and the Masoretic Text (as in 1 Samuel 20:34, "on the second day of the new moon" that reads against the Septuagint's "on the second of the month." The Masoretic Text and Samuelb imply a two-day feast for the New Moon while the Septuagint tells of a one-day New Moon followed by an ordinary day).

4Q Samuelc

4Q Samuelc (4QSamc; 4Q53), also found in Cave 4 at Qumran, was written by the same scribe who wrote the Rule of the Community, as shown by the orthography and the specific spellings of words such as z'wt ("this"), 'bdkh ("your servant") and wy’wmr ("and he said"). These variants are quite insignificant, however, and do not relate directly to the Masoretic Text (MT) or the Septuagint. One variant that is found in both the scroll and the Septuagint is in 2 Samuel 14:30. The MT ends with the note of the burning of Joab's field, but the Septuagint continues on and recounts how Joab's servants told him about it "with their clothes rent". The scroll reads, "[and the s]ervants of Joab [came] to him, with [their clothes] rent [and said 'the ser]vants of Absalom [have set] the field on fire'." The text is in Hebrew, written in square script and dates from Hasmonean period. [5]

New perspectives on passages from the Qumran Samuel finds

Height of Goliath

David fights Goliath David as he fights Goliath.jpeg
David fights Goliath

One major variation in the Samuel text is in 1 Samuel 17:4. While both the Septuagint and Josephus' writings attributed only four cubits and a span (possibly about 6 feet 6 inches (198 cm) to Goliath's height, the Masoretic Text recorded Goliath's height as six cubits (possibly about 9 feet 6 inches (290 cm). The Septuagint writes, "καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἀνὴρ δυνατὸς ἐκ τῆς παρατάξεως τῶν ἀλλοφύλων Γολιὰθ ὄνομα αὐτῶν ἐκ Γέθ, ὕψος αὐτοῦ τεσσάρων πήχεων καὶ σπιθαμῆς·" The translation of this verse reads, "And there went forth a mighty man out of the army of the Philistines, Goliath, by name, out of Geth, his height [was] four cubits and a span.". [6] Furthermore, In Josephus' account of this story, he writes, "Now there came down a man out of the camp of the Philistines, whose name was Goliath, of the city of Gath, a man of vast bulk, for he was of four cubits and a span in tallness ... ." [7] However, because the Masoretic Text was written in the original Hebrew language and was considered to be an older version of the text, scholars used its translation for years, attributing to Goliath an unusual height. [8]

Missing section from 1 Samuel 10

According to the Masoretic Text (MT) and Septuagint (LXX), Saul returns home and a month following, Nahash the Ammonite declares that he will only make a treaty with the people of Jabesh-gilead if he can gouge out everyone's right eye. This punishment seemed harsh for punishment of this kind was meant for those who discretely or violently rebelled. [9]

10:26 Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some worthless fellows said, "How can this man save us?" And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace. 11:1 About a month later, Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you." 2 But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, "On this condition I will make a treaty with you, namely that I gouge out everyone's right eye, and thus put disgrace upon all Israel."

However, 4QSama, which was copied in around 50 BCE, [9] includes a passage missing from the MT and LXX that describes similar treatment of the Gadites and Reubenites, which is considered to clarify the text. This portion is found in column 10. [9] The additional passage from the Samuel scroll has been integrated by the translators of the New Revised Standard Version. This version is the first of its kind to do so.

10:26 Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some worthless fellows said, "How can this man save us?" And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.

Now Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had been grievously oppressing the Gadites and the Reubenites. He would gouge out the right eye of each of them and would not grant Israel a deliverer. No one was left of the Israelites across the Jordan whose right eye Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had not gouged out. But there were seven thousand men who had escaped from the Ammonites and had entered Jabesh-gilead.

11:1 About a month later, Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you."2 But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, "On this condition I will make a treaty with you, namely that I gouge out everyone’s right eye, and thus put disgrace upon all Israel."

New Revised Standard Version

Thus, the Samuel scroll found at Qumran includes a passage missing from the traditional Masoretic Text and Septuagint. The editors believe that the passage was accidentally omitted by a scribe copying a manuscript in which the word “Nahash” marked the end of two successive paragraphs, such that after copying the first paragraph, he turned back to the manuscript, mistakenly took the second appearance of "Nahash" for the point at which he left off, and continued on from that point. [10]

The missing passage provides readers with two key pieces of information: [11] 1. It was common for Nahash to gouge out people's right eyes; 2. the 7,000 men that fled from the Ammonites had taken refuge in Jabesh-gilead, which is why the city was being treated by Nahash as a stronghold for rebels. Therefore, the harsh behaviour and brutal punishment of the Ammonite Nahash has been illuminated by the additional excerpt in 4QSama, allowing its readers to comprehend the text by explaining the book's complicated history.

Additionally, this fragment was included by Josephus in his Antiquities of the Jews , who may have adopted these writings from texts similar to 4QSama. [12] Josephus wrote of Nahash's practice of putting out the right eyes of warriors, leaving them useless in battle when their left eye was covered by their shield.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ammon</span> Ancient Semitic kingdom in the Levant

Ammon was an ancient Semitic-speaking kingdom occupying the east of the Jordan River, between the torrent valleys of Arnon and Jabbok, in present-day Jordan. The chief city of the country was Rabbah or Rabbat Ammon, site of the modern city of Amman, Jordan's capital. Milcom and Molech are named in the Hebrew Bible as the gods of Ammon. The people of this kingdom are called Children of Ammon or Ammonites.

Jabesh-Gilead, sometimes shortened to Jabesh, was an ancient Israelite town in Gilead, in northwest Jordan. Jabesh is mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible primarily in connection with King Saul's battles against the Ammonites and Philistines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emanuel Tov</span> Dutch–Israeli biblical scholar and linguist (born 1941)

Emanuel Tov is a Dutch–Israeli biblical scholar and linguist, emeritus J. L. Magnes Professor of Bible Studies in the Department of Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has been intimately involved with the Dead Sea Scrolls for many decades, and from 1991, he was appointed Editor-in-Chief of the Dead Sea Scrolls Publication Project.

Homeoteleuton, also spelled homoeoteleuton and homoioteleuton, is the repetition of endings in words. Homeoteleuton is also known as near rhyme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nahash of Ammon</span> Biblical king of Ammon

Nahash was the name of a king of Ammon, mentioned in the Books of Samuel and Chronicles in the Hebrew Bible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1 Samuel 2</span> First Book of Samuel chapter

1 Samuel 2 is the second chapter of the Books of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. It recounts the Song of Hannah, the corruption of the priests descended from Eli, Samuel's ministry to God 'even as a child' and the prophecy of a "man of God" against Eli's household.

The Isaiah Scroll, designated 1QIsaa and also known as the Great Isaiah Scroll, is one of the seven Dead Sea Scrolls that were first discovered by Bedouin shepherds in 1946 from Qumran Cave 1. The scroll is written in Hebrew and contains the entire Book of Isaiah from beginning to end, apart from a few small damaged portions. It is the oldest complete copy of the Book of Isaiah, being approximately 1000 years older than the oldest Hebrew manuscripts known before the scrolls' discovery. 1QIsaa is also notable in being the only scroll from the Qumran Caves to be preserved almost in its entirety.

The Great Psalms Scroll, also referred to as 11Q5, is the most substantial and well preserved manuscript of Psalms of the thirty-seven discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Qumran caves. It is one of six Psalms manuscripts discovered in Cave 11.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremiah 8</span> Book of Jeremiah, chapter 8

Jeremiah 8 is the eighth chapter of the Book of Jeremiah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains prophecies attributed to the prophet Jeremiah and is one of the Books of the Prophets. Chapters 7 to 10 constitute an address delivered by Jeremiah at the gate of the Temple in Jerusalem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1 Samuel 17</span> First Book of Samuel chapter

1 Samuel 17 is the seventeenth chapter of the First Book of Samuel in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible or the first part of the Books of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish tradition the book was attributed to the prophet Samuel, with additions by the prophets Gad and Nathan, but modern scholars view it as a composition of a number of independent texts of various ages from c. 630–540 BCE. This chapter contains the battle of David with Goliath, the Philistine. This is within a section comprising 1 Samuel 16 to 2 Samuel 5 which records the rise of David as the king of Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2 Samuel 21</span> Second Book of Samuel chapter

2 Samuel 21 is the twenty-first chapter of the Second Book of Samuel in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible or the second part of Books of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish tradition the book was attributed to the prophet Samuel, with additions by the prophets Gad and Nathan, but modern scholars view it as a composition of a number of independent texts of various ages from c. 630–540 BCE. This chapter contains the account of David's reign in Jerusalem. This is within a section comprising 2 Samuel 21–24 containing the appendices to the Books of Samuel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1 Chronicles 19</span> First Book of Chronicles, chapter 19

1 Chronicles 19 is the nineteenth chapter of the Books of Chronicles in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Chronicles in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is compiled from older sources by an unknown person or group, designated by modern scholars as "the Chronicler", and had the final shape established in late fifth or fourth century BCE. This chapter records the account of David's wars against the neighboring nations, especially the Ammonites and the Arameans. The whole chapter belongs to the section focusing on the kingship of David.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1 Samuel 10</span> First Book of Samuel chapter

1 Samuel 10 is the tenth chapter of the First Book of Samuel in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible or the first part of the Books of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish tradition the book was attributed to the prophet Samuel, with additions by the prophets Gad and Nathan, but modern scholars view it as a composition of a number of independent texts of various ages from c. 630–540 BCE. This chapter describes the anointing of Saul as the first king of Israel, within a section comprising 1 Samuel 7–15 which records the rise of the monarchy in Israel and the account of the first years of King Saul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1 Samuel 11</span> First Book of Samuel chapter

1 Samuel 11 is the eleventh chapter of the First Book of Samuel in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible or the first part of the Books of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish tradition the book was attributed to the prophet Samuel, with additions by the prophets Gad and Nathan, but modern scholars view it as a composition of a number of independent texts of various ages from c. 630–540 BCE. This chapter describes Saul obliterating the army of Nahash king of Ammon and liberating Jabesh-Gilead, thereby convincing the people about his ability to lead, and causing them to appoint him king. This is within a section comprising 1 Samuel 7–15 which records the rise of the monarchy in Israel and the account of the first years of King Saul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1 Samuel 31</span> First Book of Samuel chapter

1 Samuel 31 is the thirty-first chapter of the First Book of Samuel in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible or the first part of the Books of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish tradition, the book was attributed to the prophet Samuel, with additions by the prophets Gad and Nathan, but modern scholars view it as a composition of a number of independent texts of various ages from c. 630–540 BCE. This chapter contains the account of Saul's repeated attempts to kill him. This is within a section comprising 1 Samuel 16 to 2 Samuel 5 which records the rise of David as the king of Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2 Samuel 2</span> Second Book of Samuel chapter

2 Samuel 2 is the second chapter of the Second Book of Samuel in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible or the second part of Books of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish tradition the book was attributed to the prophet Samuel, with additions by the prophets Gad and Nathan, but modern scholars view it as a composition of a number of independent texts of various ages from c. 630–540 BCE. This chapter contains the account of David becoming king over Judah in Hebron. This is within a section comprising 1 Samuel 16 to 2 Samuel 5 which records the rise of David as the king of Israel, and a section comprising 2 Samuel 2–8 which deals with the period when David set up his kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2 Samuel 10</span> Second Book of Samuel chapter

2 Samuel 10 is the tenth chapter of the Second Book of Samuel in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible or the second part of Books of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish tradition the book was attributed to the prophet Samuel, with additions by the prophets Gad and Nathan, but modern scholars view it as a composition of a number of independent texts of various ages from c. 630–540 BCE. This chapter contains the account of David's reign in Jerusalem. This is within a section comprising 2 Samuel 9–20 and continued to 1 Kings 1–2 which deal with the power struggles among David's sons to succeed David's throne until 'the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2 Samuel 17</span> Second Book of Samuel chapter

2 Samuel 17 is the seventeenth chapter of the Second Book of Samuel in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible or the second part of Books of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish tradition the book was attributed to the prophet Samuel, with additions by the prophets Gad and Nathan, but modern scholars view it as a composition of a number of independent texts of various ages from c. 630–540 BCE. This chapter contains the account of David's reign in Jerusalem. This is within a section comprising 2 Samuel 9–20 and continued to 1 Kings 1–2 which deal with the power struggles among David's sons to succeed David's throne until 'the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tribe of Reuben</span> One of the twelve Tribes of Israel

According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Reuben was one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Unlike the majority of the tribes, the land of Reuben, along with that of Gad and half of Manasseh, was on the eastern side of the Jordan and shared a border with Moab. According to the biblical narrative, the Tribe of Reuben descended from Reuben, the eldest son of the patriarch Jacob. Reuben, along with nine other tribes, is reckoned by the Bible as part of the northern kingdom of Israel, and disappears from history with the demise of that kingdom in c. 723 BC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tribe of Gad</span> One of the twelve Tribes of Israel

According to the Bible, the Tribe of Gad was one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel who, after the Exodus from Egypt, settled on the eastern side of the Jordan River. It is one of the ten lost tribes.

References

  1. Polak, Frank. "Samuel, First and Second Books of." In Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls. : Oxford University Press, 2000. http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195084504.001.0001/acref-9780195084504-e-467.
  2. 1Q7 at the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library
  3. 4Q51 at the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library
  4. 4Q52 at the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library
  5. 4Q53 at the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library
  6. "1 and the Philistines gather their armies to battle, and gather themselves to S... KINGS I / SAMUEL I / ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΩΝ Α17 - Bilingual Septuagint".
  7. "Flavius Josephus: Josephus: The Complete Works - Christian Classics Ethereal Library".
  8. "Clash of the Manuscripts: Goliath & the Hebrew Text of the Old Testament".
  9. 1 2 3 Flint, Peter W. The Dead Sea Scrolls. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2013.
  10. Shanks, Hershel (December 20, 2011). "Qumran Cave 4 – XII, 1-2 Samuel (Discoveries in the Judaean Desert Series, XVII)". Biblical Archaeology Review . Biblical Archaeology Society . Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  11. Abegg Jr., Martin, Peter W. Flint, and Eugene C. Ulrich. The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible. New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 2002.
  12. Ulrich, Eugene. The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Origins of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1999.